“The efforts to delegitimize the mandates of the Georgian Parliament’s delegation within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) —thereby casting a shadow on the parliamentary elections—had ultimately failed,” Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated at the outset of the Parliamentary Bureau meeting.

However, Papuashvili emphasized that the resolution containing reservations regarding the delegation was entirely unacceptable and that, under such circumstances, the Georgian Parliament’s delegation could not function effectively within the Parliamentary Assembly.

“I would like to address the participation of our delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and extend my gratitude to the members of the Georgian Parliament’s delegation. The resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly is indeed regrettable. Nevertheless, it is significant to note that the attempt to discredit the delegation’s credentials, which would undermine the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections, has failed.

Therefore, I would like to thank the delegation and its leader, Ms. Tea Tsulukiani. This orchestrated effort by the opposition, their supporting NGOs, and certain foreign political groups working in concert against the interests of the Georgian people has failed. This attempt failed due to the diligent efforts of our delegation, which was recognized by the Parliamentary Assembly.

However, we find the specific resolution unacceptable, and I have articulated that we cannot engage with the Assembly under such conditions. The delegation made a statement about this, and I also made a statement that we cannot work within the Assembly under such conditions. PACE must return to its foundational values grounded in democracy and respect for the people’s will.

If we do not respect each other’s sovereignty and disregard the democratic choices made by citizens at the ballot box, discussing the principles of international cooperation—the bedrock of our modern world—becomes exceedingly difficult,” stated Shalva Papuashvili.

Both, the Georgian Dream and the People’s Power have decided to recall their members from Georgia’s parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This decision was also backed by Bureau members during their meeting.

“As you know, both Georgian Dream and People’s Power have designated specific quotas. Accordingly, the following delegation members have been recalled: Tea Tsulukiani, Givi Mikanadze, and Mariam Lashkhi, all from the Georgian Dream faction, as well as Eka Sepashvili from the political group People’s Power. Additional members from the reserve pool—Levan Machavariani, Rati Ionatamishvili, and Zviad Shalamberidze—all from the Georgian Dream faction, have also been recalled.

It is important to note that the delegation is not being disbanded; it remains intact, with only individual members being withdrawn,” clarified Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, during the Bureau meeting.

Meanwhile, Shalva Papuashvili reiterated that delegation members had also reached out individually to the president of the Parliamentary Assembly regarding the termination of their mandates.

Once again, Shalva Papuashvili expressed his expectation that PACE would return to its original principles founded on democracy and sovereignty.

“I will communicate with the president of the Parliamentary Assembly to inform them that there are currently no members in the Georgian Parliament’s delegation, and they will receive this information in due course, accompanied by the explanations that have been publicly shared numerous times.

We expect that PACE will return to its foundational values, which are rooted in respect for democracy and sovereignty. As for our commitment to the Council of Europe, Georgia remains a steadfast member of this institution, as it has been for many years. Within the framework of the Council of Europe, the Georgian state will uphold its obligations just as it has throughout our membership,” concluded Shalva Papuashvili.